How to Build a Cult Brand in 2017

Whether you’re single or not, you’ve more than likely heard Bumble being brought up at some point over the last few months. The dating app (which now includes Bumble BFF and soon-to-launch Bumble Biz) with a cult following has taken over popular culture with its female-first approach to networking and focus on empowerment.

While based in Austin, Bumble has made its way to NYC, where it has set up a “Hive” in SoHo. Being BFFs with Bumble, we were overjoyed when we got the chance to take over the hive for one night and host a Q&A with myself (Hi! I’m Steph, one of the founders of Coveteur!), my business partner Jake, and Bumble CEO and co-founder Whitney Wolfe on how to build a cult brand. Coveteur contributing photographer and DJ extraordinaire Leslie Kirchhoff kicked the night off while GLAMSQUAD provided makeovers, complete with a Bumble x Coveteur Photo Booth for anyone to take a new profile pic in, naturally.

In case you missed it on social, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite questions, and a few pics from the night, below.

How do you build a cult brand?

The only way to build a cult brand is by being authentic. People are drawn to things that mean something to the people that started them and have a purpose. When we launched Coveteur, we didn’t launch it as a business—it was purely a passion project. Our readers felt that passion and excitement, and that’s what led us to ultimately be able to quit our jobs and work on Coveteur full-time and turn it into a proper business.

What makes a great hire?

For us, making sure someone is the right cultural fit is the most important thing. We’re a small company, and having someone who shares the same vision for the brand and thrives in the same type of environment that we have is crucial. Looking for someone who also comes from a different type of background than you originally thought for a role could also lend a new set of strategies and approach and something we try to be open-minded about.

How has social media impacted your brand?

Similar to many other businesses, social media has allowed us to reach and engage with audiences that we may not have been able to reach before, and it allows us to share our content and brand story with millions of people.

A way that social media is different for Coveteur is that it allows us to research and contact people for the site that we wouldn’t be able to otherwise. We use it to discover new talent and reach out to people all around the world.